Armed Forces: Veterans

Lord Drayson: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Don Touhig) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The Ministry of Defence has recently completed a review of the strategy for veterans, which was launched in March 2003. The review, which was undertaken in consultation with the ex-service organisations, government departments and the devolved administrations, has confirmed that our broad approach to veterans issues holds good.
	The three key pillars of our strategy remain:
	to provide excellent preparation for the transition of service personnel back to civilian life;
	to provide advice and support for those of our veterans who need it; and
	to ensure that the nation recognises, understands and commemorates veterans' contribution in society.
	Several aspects of the strategy have been updated and the review has also highlighted the importance of exploring ways to improve the effectiveness of our delivery and of effective communication.
	The revised strategy, setting out our approach to veterans' issues and what we aim to achieve through the Veterans Programme, is published today.
	A copy of the strategy has been placed in the Library and can be found at www.veteransagency. mod.uk/vetstrategy/vetstrategy.pdf.

Debt and Reserves: 2006–07

Lord McKenzie of Luton: My honourable friend the Economic Secretary to the Treasury (Mr Ivan Lewis) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	The Debt and Reserves Management Report 2006–07 is being published today. Copies are available in the Library of the House.

Fraud

Lord Goldsmith: On 27 October 2005 I announced to the House that the Government had commissioned a wide-ranging review of fraud. The review team has produced its interim report and I have today placed copies in the Libraries of both Houses.
	The full report is expected to be ready in the late spring.

Invest to Save Budget

Lord McKenzie of Luton: My right honourable friend the Chief Secretary (Mr Des Browne) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	I am pleased to announce that a total of 30 bids from organisations spanning the public and voluntary sectors have been awarded funding for projects following the eighth annual bidding round of the Invest to Save Budget. A total of £26 million has been allocated over the three years to 2008–09 for England. The allocated sum rises to £31 million to include consequential funding for the devolved administrations. Details of the winning projects have been placed in the Library.
	The Invest to Save Budget (ISB), set up following the 1998 Comprehensive Spending Review, provides initial funding support for projects that increase the extent of joint working between different parts of the public sector; identify innovative ways of delivering public services; and reduce the cost of delivering the services and/or improve the quality and effectiveness of services delivered to the public.
	This, the eighth bidding round through which ISB resources are allocated, concentrates on the priority areas of:
	the third sector delivering public services—projects that deliver cash releasing efficiencies;
	improved energy efficiency in public and third-sector bodies; and
	efficiency and increased access to the arts and culture.
	Successful projects are required to agree a detailed implementation plan with the sponsor departments, setting out how the project will be delivered. Each project must also provide six-monthly progress reports to sponsor departments and the Treasury and carry out an evaluation of the project's success once it has been completed. Wider dissemination of the good practice from completed projects is then fed back into the whole spectrum of public service providers.
	I am also pleased to announce that there will be a ninth ISB bidding round held later in the year, with a focus on the third sector's role in building fairer communities and delivering public services. Full details of the round, including detailed bidding guidance and criteria, will be announced over the coming months.
	More information can be found on the ISB website at www.isb.gov.uk.